October 10, 2012 1:48 pm

The body of a 63-year-old Tacoma man has been found at the bottom of American Lake in Lakewood, a day after he tried to swim ashore when the boat he was riding on began to sink.

Family members identified the man as Franklin Ray Harvey.

Lakewood police said they will recover Harvey’s body this afternoon.

Harvey and his brother were deciding whether to buy an old Bayliner Inboard/Outboard and took it out on the water for a test run Tuesday afternoon.

After noticing steam coming from the engine compartment, they stopped and noticed the boat was rapidly taking on water through a hole where the outdrive connects to the stern.

Both men decided to swim for shore and took boat seats with them to help them stay afloat. One brother realized he could not make it and turned around to swim back to the boat when he noticed Harvey had slipped beneath the surface.

Another boater rescued the surviving brother. Divers searched for an hour Tuesday but could not find Harvey. His body was located today.

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